Pokemon Handa
by zzz589zzz
Summary: A whole new region, a whole new group of trainers, same old Pokemon. Gotta catch em all!  Rated T for language and teenage antics
1. Pokemon Handa: Chapter 1

Hiiiiii everyone! It's zzz589zzz here! I'm a complete and total fanfic newb, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

This is my first official story, and hopefully you guys'll have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

Thanks again! Now ON with the show

Disclaimer: All Pokemon mentioned in this story are property of those wonderful people that have brought Pokemon to our world. I just created a group of random humans to help move the story along, so they are mine. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Your Journey Begins

There are mystical and wondrous creatures that inhabit our world, called Pokémon. Some big, some small, but all of them come together throughout the regions of the Pokémon world: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. The Pokémon live together with the people of these regions, and whatever they're doing, may it be playing together, working together or battling together; people and Pokémon are always there for one another. Even in the lake region of Handa, people and their Pokémon friends are plentiful.

And that's where our adventure begins, the Handa region, which floats on an island in a lake that is surrounded by all four main regions. Pokémon from all over migrate to the Handa region, and many Pokémon trainers begin their journeys in the small town in Handa known as Lily Pad Village. A small town with lily ponds everywhere, it is home to Handa's only Pokémon research laboratory. In this laboratory lives Professor Thorn, a kind middle aged man with a knack for studying Pokémon. Each year Professor Thorn sends new Pokémon trainers out into the future of adventure and training that awaits them. The research lab is surrounded by many of these trainer's houses; but there is one particular house which stands apart from the rest. The house of a would be trainer who's adventure has been put on hold for long enough.

In the little red house at the edge of Lily Pad Village, the smell of freshly cooked breakfast and neatly folded laundry permeated every room in the house. Despite being a delightful yet strange scent, the only inhabitant of the second floor of the house wasn't fazed. She stood firmly in front of the dresser mirror, studying herself with her onyx black eyes. Carefully but firmly, she pulled on a pair of black and blue fingerless gloves that had been set on the dresser and looked at her attire. She wore a blue sleeveless shirt that had a hood and a pair of black baggy pants. A pair of grey running shoes tied the outfit together.

"Today's the day," Shouri Inoue murmured as she pulled on a pair of goggles so they rested on the top of her head, a navy blue against her ebony black hair. Today was the day Shouri was finally able to begin her journey as a Pokémon trainer. She had waited six years to get her first Pokémon, but in her parents opinion it was better to start late than start young and not be prepared. 'Finally, my very first Pokémon,' she thought as a smile slowly spread across her face.

"Shouri! Stop day dreaming! If you don't hurry the Pokémon is gonna start without you!" her mother called from downstairs, snapping Shouri out of her daze. The teen girl looked around her room quickly before spotting her grey shoulder bag, reaching out and grabbing it, pulling it onto her shoulder before rushing down towards the house's kitchen. Shouri's mother and father, once a famous double battling team in Handa, were sitting at the kitchen table; Shouri's father was reading the paper while her mother was sipping a cup of tea. As soon as their daughter entered the kitchen, both parents stood up and went over to her.

"Here you go sweetie, we had this Poke-Gear custom made for you," her mother smiled as she handed Shouri a small device. "I already put mine and your father's number into it," she said, her eyes tearing up slightly. "S-so you take care of y-yourself and make s-sure to call us!" she said before breaking down into tears and pulling her daughter into her arms. "I can't believe my baby is leaving me! You're still so young!" she cried as Shouri awkwardly patted her mother on the back before shooting a pleading look at her father, who chuckled at the sight.

"Now now dear, I think you might be cutting off her air supply," he joked, his wife frowned at his humor but reluctantly releasing Shouri. Her father stepped up and ruffled her hair. "Be good honey, don't annoy any wild spearows, and watch out for those poison type Pokémon, they can be really nasty," he said as Shouri grinned up at him. "You got it dad!" she said as she gave both her parents a quick hug goodbye before rushing out of the house, even more eager to start her trip.

Even though it was a small town, Lily Pad Village was bustling with people running about performing their morning tasks. Some people were outside raking their front yards, others were greeting each other as they passed by; but one particular townsperson caught Shouri's attention as she sprinted towards her destination. Another teenager, a boy with spiked black hair and slightly darkened skin, was practically jumping around the village as he tried his best to pull on a pair of blue, white and black running shoes. He wore a dark green t-shirt and a pair of stone washed jeans. He had a vest like shirt over the green t-shirt that was black with a white collar and sleeves. He had a pair of black wrist bands on, and a grey backpack slung on one of his shoulders. Shouri watched in amusement as he hopped up and down while pulling his shoes on. He was finally able to get them on, but fell face first at Shouri's feet in the process.

"Are you ok Hatsaharu?"Shouri said as she knelt down in front of the boy to check if he was ok. Hatsaharu Fujiwara looked up at his long time neighbor (and friend) and smiled, his dark blue eyes practically glowing. He sat up instantly, forcing Shouri to lean back to give him room. Hatsaharu dusted off his vest before holding his fingers up in a peace sign as he grinned.

"Never better Shou!" he exclaimed, using his childhood nickname for the girl. "Looks like you're ready to go too! Let's head over to the lab together!" he said as Shouri shook her head, an amused smile on her face. Hatsaharu always acted like he'd just ate a bowl of sugar for breakfast. Shouri stood up and held her hand out, Hatsaharu grasping it and allowing Shouri to pull him to his feet. She slung her arm over his shoulder and returned his grin with one of her own.

"Sure pal! Let's head over before the Professor thinks we stood him up," she joked as Hatsaharu laughed as well, allowing the slightly older girl to lead him towards the laboratory. The aforementioned laboratory was in the center of Lily Pad Village. It stood taller than all the houses in the village, and looked much more technologically advanced. Both Shouri and Hatsaharu looked up at the research laboratory in awe, before Hatsaharu shot his arms up, causing Shouri to jump away from him in surprise.

"Finally! We're going to get our first Pokémon!" he cheered as Shouri grinned at his words. Like Shouri, Hatsaharu had been held back by his parents; but once they heard that Shouri's parents were sending her off, they agreed to let Hatsaharu travel with his friend. Shouri pumped both her fists into the air along with Hatsaharu and cheered with him, the two friends running into the laboratory like it was a play ground and not a research lab. They raced through the lab, calling out apologies as they dodged around the research assistants, trying to find out how to get their first Pokémon. The two would have gone on for days had they not both been grabbed by the back of their shirts by a pair of strong hands.

"Well well if it isn't Shouri Inoue and Hatsaharu Fujiwara, finally here for your Pokémon I see?" Pokémon Professor Daichi Thorn, more commonly known to the people of Lily Pad Village as Professor Thorn, smiled down at the two teens that he'd known since they were in diapers. Professor Thorn was an old friend of the teens' parents, and had been waiting forever to give the two their first Pokémon.

"Professor Thorn!" both Shouri and Hatsaharu exclaimed happily as they were released by the Professor. They both turned to face the middle aged man, still bouncing up and down with excitement. Of course, the hyper active jumping slowed to a stop as the Professor gave them both reproachful looks for their behavior. Shouri looked down at her nails casually as Hatsaharu looked away sheepishly, trying to avoid Professor Thorn's serious look. His face broke into a grin as he reached out and ruffled both the teens' hair.

"It's good to finally have the two of you in my lab!" he said cheerfully. When Shouri and Hatsaharu had first come to him for Pokémon, he had been more than happy to supply them with their starters. But of course their parents had had other ideas. So the Professor had to wait a few more years to give the two youngsters their first Pokémon, but finally the wait was over. "Stop terrorizing my staff, that won't get you your starters any faster," he scolded as both Shouri and Hatsaharu grinned up at him. The Professor chuckled at their expressions before turning away from the two. "Follow me," he called over his shoulders as he walked further into the lab. Shouri grabbed Hatsaharu's hand and pulled him after the Professor, both teens looking around the lab in awe. Professor Thorn finally reached his destination, stopping in front of giant poke ball like machine.

"As I'm sure you two know, Handa is only one of the many regions on our planet," he began as he walked over to a computer. "But of course we do not have any native Pokémon of our own, but Pokémon come to the Handa region and settle here, which makes them available to trainers," he said as he pressed a few keys on the computer, the giant poke ball machine opening to reveal twelve poke balls nestled into their places, each shined to perfection.

"Wow," Shouri murmured as Hatsaharu's jaw dropped at the display, both staring at the poke balls in their compartments. The Professor beamed with pride at the teens' amazement before walking over and standing behind the two of them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Go on then, these are twelve Pokémon selected from our neighboring regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. New trainers are allowed to choose any one they want," he said to the two as they looked up at him. "Of course," he said as he went towards the twelve poke balls, "They aren't labeled, so whatever Pokémon you choose is bound to be either a choice of destiny... or just pure dumb luck," he grinned as Shouri gaped at his laid back view on the selection method. Hatsaharu was the first to recover from the shock as he went over to the twelve poke balls before selecting one.

"Whatever you are, come on out!" he called excitedly as he tossed the poke ball in the air, a bright light shining as the Pokémon inside came out. A small, greenish blue baby dinosaur like Pokémon was curled up on the floor. It had darker greenish blue spots all over its body, and a giant green onion like bud on its back. The Pokémon opened its eyes as if just waking up, and looked at its surroundings before it spotted Hatsaharu. The two looked at each other before Hatsaharu carefully crouched down so he was eye level with the Pokémon. "H-hi there," he said with a nervous smile. The Pokémon blinked at him a few more times before it smiled cheerfully up at Hatsaharu.

"Saur! Bulbasaur!" it said happily as it went towards Hatsaharu. "Ah, Bulbasaur, the seed Pokémon. A very nice choice Hatsaharu," Professor Thorn nodded as Hatsaharu patted Bulbasaur on the head, smiling down at his new partner.

"Well Shouri," Professor Thorn said as he spotted the other new trainer looking at Hatsaharu and Bulbasaur with admiration. "Why don't you come forward and choose your first Pokémon?" Shouri looked nervously between the Professor, Hatsaharu and the twelve poke balls before going back to Hatsaharu. Her friend smiled up at her and gave her a thumbs up, his new Pokémon partner looking at her with a curious expression. Shouri let out a sigh as she was reassured by her friend's gesture before walking over to the eleven remaining poke balls. She admired each and every one carefully before finally selecting the one in the center. She picked up the poke ball and gripped it tightly before activating it, tossing it in the air as Hatsaharu had done.

"Come on out!" she called as another bright light enveloped the room.

* * *

"Don't they look adorable dear?" Hatsaharu's mother cooed as she looked at her son, his childhood friend and their two new Pokémon. Hatsaharu beamed over at his mother and father as his first Pokémon, Bulbasaur, looked over as well, tilting its head curiously at its partner's parents.

"We are anything but adorable," Shouri muttered as the creature beside her huffed in agreement.

"Squirtle Squir," It said, glaring up at its partner. The Pokémon was a small blue turtle like creature with a brown shell, tan stomach and blue tail. When Shouri had tossed her poke ball, it had appeared. The Professor said its name was Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokémon. Of course, as soon as Shouri had tried to go near the creature, it had squirted her in the face with water, keeping true to its name and type. Instead of reacting calmly to the situation, Shouri snapped back at the Squirtle for the attack, causing the two to get into an all out brawl.

'How do I get myself into these things,' Shouri thought as she cast a sideways glance at her new partner. Squirtle was sitting on the floor by her backpack with a scowl on its face. 'I gotta admit though, he is pretty cute,' she thought with a small grin. As if it could sense her watching, Squirtle snapped its attention and glare back to Shouri, who quickly looked away. 'Oh man! If looks could kill!' she thought as she tried her best not to glance back at the irritated Squirtle.

"Very impressive choice in partners you two!" Shouri's father said as he looked at the Squirtle and Bulbasaur, both Pokémon looking back, Bulbasaur with a smile and Squirtle with a frown. His eyes fell on the Squirtle, surprised at the frown on its face. "My my, I've never seen a Squirtle look so unfriendly," he muttered to himself, but the Squirtle heard the remark. Irritated, it sprayed Shouri's father's face with water, knocking him back slightly.

"Dad!" "Honey!" both Shouri and her mother dashed over to the fallen family member. "Are you alright dad?"Shouri asked worriedly as she and her mother helped him stand. Her father shook his head, recovering from the water blast before looking over at the Squirtle.

"My my! Such a remarkable water gun for such a small creature!" he exclaimed as he clapped for the Squirtle, the aforementioned Pokémon blinking up at him confused before glowing with pride. It was obviously glad that someone had recognized its immense talent. Shouri raised a skeptical eyebrow at the scene but decided to take her father's word for it. If that Squirtle could pack that much of a punch, than she'd chosen a great partner.

* * *

"We've been walking for HOURS!" Hatsaharu groaned as he trudged up the path, Shouri walking at a leisurely pace ahead of him.

"Stop complaining Haru," she sighed glancing back at him. "At least YOUR partner is cooperating," she muttered mostly to herself. Bulbasaur seemed to smile up at its partner as it walked cheerfully up the path. Squirtle on the other hand had other ideas. It had been pouting ever since they'd left Lily Pad Village, and its mood had just gone from bad to worse. Every time the trainers and their partners had to make a choice on which road to take, Squirtle would refuse to follow, demanding to go in the opposite direction. Shouri was pretty sure that they were officially lost somewhere in the forest that had surrounded Lily Pad Village, all to keep the insufferable Squirtle happy.

"But it's been forever! Can't we just sit down and have a snack?" Haru pouted up at Shouri as the older girl slowed down to allow him and Bulbasaur to catch up. Shouri felt her resolve break as her best friend gave her his best puppy eyed look.

"….Fine, maybe just a small snack," she said as she felt her lips turn up slightly at the ends into a smile as she watched Haru and Bulbasaur jump with joy before they sat down under the nearest tree for some shade. Shouri glancing over at her Squirtle, who was watching with slight curiosity as Hatsaharu pulled up what looked like a boxed lunch.

"Here Bulbasaur, you want some?" he asked his partner grinning, pulling out what looked like an apple. Bulbasaur sniffed the fruit before feeling comfortable enough to bite into it. Pleased with the taste, the Pokémon happily chowed down on the food as Haru took out what looked like a sandwich for himself and started eating. Shouri grinned at the two before she sat down herself, pulling out her own lunch. She spotted Squirtle eyeing it suspiciously as it walked over hesitantly and sat down next to her.

'Huh, it's kinda cute when it's all serious like that,' Shouri thought to herself with a slight smile. The Squirtle noticed the look, its frown deepening as it glanced from Shouri to the lunch. Shouri carefully pulled out what looked like a peach, holding it out to Squirtle.

"Try it, it's sweet," she smiled as Squirtle's eyes widened at the fruit. It was unlike anything the Pokémon had ever seen. It quickly took the fruit from Shouri, before sniffing it to make sure it wasn't poisoned. Shouri laughed lightly at Squirtle's reaction before, to Squirtle's surprise, petting him on the head. "It's alright! Go ahead!" she smiled. Squirtle blinked in surprise before it returned its attention to the peach. It hesitated for a moment before taking a small bite out of the peach. Squirtle's eyes widened in surprise at the sweetness and quickly took another bite, finishing the peach within mere seconds.

"Wow wow easy there Squirtle, there's plenty more where that came from," Shouri grinned as Squirtle licked its fingers from the peach juice, Shouri pulling another out and offering it to the Squirtle. The Pokémon cheerfully accepted the fruit.

"Squirtle Squir!" it cheered in thanks as it continued to eat. Shouri smiled before pulling out half of a sandwich and taking a bite.

'That's more like it, at least it stopped glaring at everything,' she thought, enjoying her lunch. The afternoon seemed peaceful as the four unlikely new friends sat and ate, Haru and Shouri occasionally trading stories of what had happened in the village recently, occasionally watching as Squirtle began to warm up to Bulbasaur, the two playing around in the grass. 'We should probably get moving soon,' Shouri thought as she stood up from her spot under the tree, patting her backside clean of any grass. Suddenly a leaf fell from the tree above her, landing in her hair. Shouri reached up, brushing it out of her hair before she glanced up at the tree, her eyes widening in shock at what was above her. An entire nest of Pokémon was nestled in the tree. It looked like there was over a hundred pods; of what she didn't know.

"Hey…Haru….what are those?" she asked quietly as she carefully picked up her shoulder bag and stepped away from the tree. Hatsaharu looked up, letting out a yell of surprise as he grabbed his bag and practically launched himself away from the tree. Haru's yell seemed to rouse a strange reaction from the tree, a sort of buzzing sound. "…Since when do trees buzz?" Shouri said as Squirtle and Bulbasaur stood next to her and Haru, looking curiously at the tree.

"That's not the tree!" Hatsaharu cried as he stood up. "Run!" he yelled as he picked up Bulbasaur and bolted away from the tree. Shouri and Squirtle watched with confused expressions before the buzzing noise got louder. Suddenly, out of the tree sprung a group of bee like Pokémon.

"…Well hell," Shouri said in shock. Squirtle let out a yelp of surprise before it nudged Shouri's leg as the bee Pokémon came flying at them. Both Shouri and Squirtle dashed after Hatsaharu, afraid of what would happen if the Pokémons' stingers got anywhere near them. "Haru! What ARE those things?" she yelled at her best friend as she and Squirtle caught up with Hatsaharu, who was still carrying the surprised Bulbasaur.

"My dad told me about those! They're Beedrill! Also known as the Poison Bee Pokémon! Which is WHY we are RUNNING!" Haru yelled as he did his best to outrun the Beedrill. Shouri groaned in irritation as she looked over to her other side to check on Squirtle, only to notice he was no longer there.

"No! Squirtle? Where are you?" she cried as she stopped running and looked back. Squirtle a few paces back on the ground; it'd fallen during the Beedrill escape. Seeing the swarming bee Pokémon approaching quickly, Shouri picked up the nearest rock from the ground and ran back towards Squirtle. "Leave it alone!" she yelled as she tossed the rocks at the Beedrill, trying to drive them back. Squirtle looked up at Shouri, surprised at the bold action as the Beedrill buzzed angrily, changing their target from Squirtle to Shouri as they dove down to sting their attacker. Shouri moved away from Squirtle so it wouldn't get caught in the attack as she led the Beedrill towards her.

"Run Squirtle! Follow Haru!" she called to her partner, Haru watching from a hiding spot behind a tree, trying to calm his panicking Bulbasaur. Squirtle looked from Shouri and the Beedrill to Hatsaharu and back before its expression turned angry. Squirtle got to its feet before turning towards the swarm of Beedrill.

"Squirtle Squir!" it yelled before it released a strong water gun, even stronger than the one it'd used against Shouri's father. The gush of water surprised and weakened the Beedrill, driving them away from Shouri and back towards the trees. Squirtle rushed over to its partner, concerned for Shouri's safety. Shouri quickly pulled the Squirtle into her arms, hugging her Pokémon partner.

"You're the greatest Squirtle! That was so cool! ...Well at least the you saving me part. The crazy Beedrill part wasn't that cool," she grinned as Squirtle blinked, surprised at the sudden show of affection. The previously irritable Squirtle seemed to change, smiling and hugging Shouri back before letting out its own cry of joy. The two newly formed best friends cheered together as they stood up, Shouri carrying Squirtle as they rushed on over to Hatsaharu, he and Bulbasaur cheering at the fact that Shouri and Squirtle had finally learned to rely on each other.

"I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!" Hatsaharu cried as he hugged his best friend, Shouri laughing and hugging him back. Shouri patted the younger boy on the head before she looked out towards the road that was ahead of them, before gasping in surprise.

"Hey look! All that running finally led us to the right path, there's the next town!" she said as Hatsaharu and their Pokémon partners looked over and spotted the buildings in the distance.

"Hey you're right!" Haru grinned as he picked up Bulbasaur to give it a better view. Shouri looked down at Squirtle and the two exchanged excited looks before Shouri turned back towards the town in the distance and pumped a fist into the air.

"Let's go!" she cheered as the four rushed down the hill path that led to the next town. What they didn't notice was a speck of blond hiding behind a tree.

"Oh please, your journey's just beginning," the mysterious figure giggled from behind the tree as she watched the two newbie trainers run off.

* * *

Well that's all from me ladies and gents!

Tune in next week for Pokemon Handa: Chapter 2 !

Peace off!

zzz589zzz


	2. Pokemon Handa: Chapter 2

Hey everybody!

First I want to apologize for never updating and being a horrible human being :(

I am deeply ashamed of myself for not continuing this when I said I would, but all of that is about to change! I'm gonna update this bad boy on a regular basis so that this story can get a move on to the fun parts :D

Pleeeease give me a second chance my friends!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Pokemon or any of the franchise titles or names that are mentioned in this story. I do claim the rights to the original characters in this story and to the concept of the Handa region, so...yeah...Yay for Pokemon! :D

* * *

Chapter 2

Chaos on the Road

Our journey through the Handa region continues as our trainers, Shouri Inoue and Hatsaharu Fujiwara, make their way towards the first stop on their journey to become Pokémon masters, Pebble Pond Town. After making it all the way through the wet wilderness that surrounds the town, the trainers are faced with just the road ahead of them. But, little do they know that they are not the only trainers lurking through the tall, marshy grass.

"Ah man, I can't wait to stop at the town and take a breather, we've been walking forever!"Hatsaharu groaned as he held his partner, Bulbasaur, in his arms. Shouri and Squirtle glanced back at the two. Squirtle gave the trainer and Pokémon duo an irritated look as Shouri grinned.

"Relax, Haru," Shouri said as the boy looked up at her with a curious expression. "The town is just up ahead, as soon as we get there we'll take a deep breather, and maybe give our parents a call if we can find a phone," she said ruffling the younger trainer's hair. Hatsaharu frowned slightly, swatting her hand away and trying to pat his hair back into place.

"That sounds great, so let's just hurry up and get there," Haru whined, running ahead of Shouri, Bulbasaur bouncing in his arms. Shouri shook her head at her best friend's overzealous behavior.

"Squirt, Squirtle Squir!" Squirtle said, gesturing to Haru with an angry expression. Shouri glanced down at the Squirtle, trying to read the patterns of her partner's expression and its angry tone. Finally Shouri nodded in agreement and reached down, putting a calming hand on the Pokémon's shoulder.

"Yeah, I know he's a real moron. But for now we're stuck with him, so we just have to make the best of it," she sighed as she picked the Pokémon up. Squirtle squirmed a little with a bothered expression, but eventually relaxed into its trainer's arms. Shouri grinned. She'd finally gotten a handle on her Squirtle, and it was finally starting to warm up to her. As Shouri carried the Squirtle, the Pokémon looked around from its new, higher view. The trainer and Pokémon duo were enjoying some quiet time before a frozen Hatsaharu blocked their path. Shouri and Squirtle blinked in unison as they observed their still comrades. Finally Shouri reached forward and pocked Hatsaharu in the back.

"Yo, Haru. What's wrong?" she asked as Squirtle looked over at the other trainer as well. Hatsaharu didn't answer back, but held his stance as he pointed towards a bush that was moving. Shouri gaped at the shaking bush as well.

"What the heck is that?" she muttered as she set Squirtle, who was a little reluctant to leave her arms, down and went over to the bush. She blinked at it a few times before picking up a stick. "What should I do?" she said, gripping the stick.

"…poke it!" Hatsaharu hissed as he and Bulbasaur nodded, Squirtle rolling its eyes at the two. Shouri nodded before tightening her hold on the stick and jabbing it into the bush.

"Ow! That wasn't a poke that was a stab! Or jab! Depending on how you look at it!" a voice snapped from the bush, causing the two trainers to jump in surprise.

"Holy shit! The bush is talking!" Haru cried as he held up Bulbasaur, who growled at the bush, determined to protect its trainer. Squirtle jumped in front of the shocked Shouri, glaring at the bush as it readied itself for battle.

"Honestly! You didn't have to be so mean!" the bush said again, before a girl jumped out, covered in leaves and small twigs. She had short, shoulder length blonde hair that curled ever-so-slightly at the tips. Her dark green eyes were framed by a thin pair of glasses, and she had an orange and white sundress on. Reaching down, she brushed off a few twigs that were caught in her black sandals before fixing the strap on her light brown messenger bag.

"…Who ARE you?" Shouri muttered as she looked the other girl up and down. The blond finished fixing her appearance before looking over at Shouri and Hatsaharu. She studied them for a moment before throwing her head back and letting out a loud, dramatic laugh.

"Who am I? Well, I'll tell you who I am!" she said before throwing her arms up and striking a pose. "My name is Arisa Runeuh! And I'm here to prove to you that being a Pokémon trainer isn't just a walk in the park," she said before flipping her bangs, turning to look at Shouri and Hatsaharu again, only to find them gone.

"What do you think we should do after we call our parents in town? Maybe get something to eat for everyone?" Shouri said as she walked away, her hands in her pockets and Squirtle at her side.

"I want something! Like cake! Can we get cake?" Hatsaharu said as he cuddled an equally excited Bulbasaur, who squirmed and 'Saur'ed in agreement. As the two trainers walked away, Arisa fumed behind them before stomping her foot.

"That's it! If you won't take me seriously then I'll just MAKE you take me seriously!" she cried before reaching into her bag and yanking out a poké ball. "Growlithe! Let's teach these newbies a lesson!" Arisa said before tossing the poké ball in the air. A puppy like Pokémon appeared in front of Arisa. It had bright orange fur that was marked with black stripes; its tail, stomach and slight mane were a cream color. The Pokémon dug its front paws into the ground, showing off its claws as it growled at Shouri and Hatsaharu.

"Wow! What is that?" Hatsaharu muttered as he and Shouri took a step back away from the growling Pokémon. Arisa smirked at their apprehension before going over and stroking the fluff on the stop of the Pokémon's head.

"This is the newest addition to my team, Growlithe," she said before getting up and stepping back slightly. "And now, you are going to see how a real trainer faces off," Arisa proclaimed before pointing at Hatsaharu. "You! Kid! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" she said as Hatsaharu blinked at her finger.

"M-me?" Haru squeaked as Bulbasaur growled at Arisa. Shouri frowned at the blond girl as she stepped up behind her best friend and put her hands on his shoulder's in support.

"You got this Haru. Fight her and take her out. So what if you've just become a trainer and have no idea what you're doing? So what! Sure she might be stronger, weirder and obviously more experienced than you, but so what!" she said squeezing Hatsaharu's shoulders. The boy gulped and glanced back at his friend with a worried expression.

"I know you care and all Sho, but I think you just made it worse," he whined quietly before setting Bulbasaur down, ignoring Shouri's mild frown and Squirtle and Arisa's horribly amused expressions. Hatsaharu took a deep breath before nodding. "Alright, I got this," he sighed before pointing right back at Arisa. "You're on!" he said with a determined expression. Arisa rubbed her hands together in a mock, evil gesture before clapping.

"Alrightie then! Let's get this battle started!" she smiled as Growlithe howled in agreement. Shouri looked from the overly excited Arisa to the determined Hatsaharu before frowning down at Squirtle with concern.

"I have a bad feeling about this Squirtle," she sighed but picked her partner up and moved out of the way of the two battling Pokémon and trainers.

* * *

"You know how this goes right kiddo? Since you only seem to have this one Pokémon, we'll just make it a one on one," Arisa said pushing her glasses up her nose lightly before crossing her arms. Hatsaharu frowned at the overly confidant girl before nodding.

"Alright, one on one is fine with me," he said as Bulbasaur and Growlithe stared each other down. Arisa pouted at Hatsaharu's lack of reaction before shrugging it off.

"Fine then!" she muttered before smirking at Haru "Ladies first," she said in a sing song voice before looking at her Pokémon. "Growlithe! Let's start this show off with Bite!" Arisa called as Growlithe growled in unison, dashing in quickly and biting the unsuspecting Bulbasaur, who cried out in pain. Hatsaharu gritted his teeth as Growlithe quickly jumped back away from the injured Bulbasaur as Arisa threw her hands up in the air as a sign of victory. "Woo hoo! This battle's in the bag!" she cheered.

"We're not out yet!"Hatsaharu shouted as Bulbasaur 'Saur'ed in agreement before getting back to its feet. "Alright Bulbasaur, Tackle!"Hatsaharu ordered as Bulbasaur rushed forward to attack the Growlithe. Arisa simply scoffed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Growlithe, dodge and use Ember," she said. Growlithe easily ducked out of Bulbasaur's path before rounding behind the Seed Pokémon and letting out a small blast of fire. "That should just about do it," Arisa said as Bulbasaur roared in pain before collapsing onto the ground, Growlithe padding back over to stand by its partner. Hatsaharu gaped at the flame attack before rushing forward to his Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur!" he cried as he got down on the ground and hugged the burnt green Pokémon gently. Shouri stood up quickly to rush over, but not before Squirtle wiggled out of her arms and dashed over, standing in front of Arisa and her Growlithe.

"Squirt! Squirtle Squir!" Squirtle shouted gesturing to Growlithe angrily. The puppy Pokémon returned the comment with a few growls of its own as Shouri looked from Squirtle to the crest fallen Hatsaharu before running over. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a poké ball before activating it.

"That's enough Squirtle, return," she said, surprising both her Pokémon and Arisa and Growlithe. Shouri quickly tucked the poké ball back into her pocket before going back over to Hatsaharu. "Come on," she said softly as Haru took out Bulbasaur's poké ball. "If we hurry we can probably make it to town and see if we can get Bulbasaur fixed up," she said as Hatsaharu looked up at her before nodding in agreement, returning the Pokémon to its ball. Arisa growled with mild irritation before gripping the strap of her messenger bag.

"Hey! Just who do you think you are? Ignoring me like that?" she snapped as she watched Shouri and Hatsaharu get up. "Get back over here and battle against me! You can't just run away, you'll never be a Pokémon trainer like that!" she said. Shouri blocked out the blond girl's words as she handed Haru his bag and picked up her own. Arisa's frowned deepened. "Hey! I said answer-!" she began to shout, but the insults and yells got stuck in her throat as Shouri glared back at her with eyes like steel. Arisa took a step back in surprise as Shouri turned away from Hatsaharu and let her anger out on the blond.

"No one asked your opinion you annoying, stupid, arrogant girl," Shouri said, ignoring the shocked expression on Arisa's face. "I don't care if you don't think we're serious Pokémon trainers, and I don't care if you're any better than us. Right now the only thing I care about is getting my friend's Pokémon some medical attention. So either you help us with that, or you keep you half assed opinions to yourself!" she said before turning away and putting a hand on Haru's shoulder. "Come on pal, let's go," she muttered leading him away from the blond and her Growlithe. Arisa watched the two friends walk away, the shock on her face slowly slipping into a heart broken expression. She looked down at her feet, letting Shouri's words sink in before she glanced over at her Growlithe, her eyes filled with shame.

"Growlithe," she said quietly before glancing and the departing trainers for a moment. "I've really done it this time," she murmured before linking her fingers together in thought. The Growlithe regarded its partner with mild interest before nudging her leg from behind lightly, attempting to push her forward. "Hey! Growlithe!" Arisa mumbled in surprise, looking behind her at her Pokémon. "What are you doing?"

"Grow, Groooowlithe," the fire-type Pokémon said before gesturing towards Shouri and Hatsaharu's direction with a nod of its head. Arisa blinked down at the Growlithe before smiling slightly in understanding.

"You're right Growlithe," she whispered before pulling out its poké ball. "Thank you, return," she said as the Growlithe disappeared. Arisa took a deep breath before turning and running after Shouri and Hatsaharu. "Hey!" she called, causing both trainers to look back with mildly surprised expressions. "Wait up! Please!" Arisa said as she finally caught up with the two.

"What now? We're busy," Shouri said frowning back at her as Hatsaharu looked at the blond trainer. Arisa looked at the both of them before bowing deeply.

"I'm really really really sorry for what happened back there!" she said, catching her glasses before they fell off her face before she straightened up to look the two surprised trainers in the eye. "I just heard you complaining and I couldn't take it anymore; I thought if I told you how tough some trainers are, that you'd start taking it a little more seriously. I guess I took it way too far though…. I kinda tend to do that," Arisa said with a sheepish smile. Shouri and Hatsaharu looked at each other before Shouri nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, Haru can be a bit of a whine, so I understand why you might have been bothered by it," she said, Hatsaharu giving her an annoyed look.

"I am not a bit of a whine!" he said as Arisa watched the two with a curious yet amused expression.

"Oh, right you aren't a bit of a whine, you're a really big whine," Shouri said before dodging as Hatsaharu swung his backpack at her. The two friends stopped their arguing as Arisa burst into laughter. "Is something funny, Runeuh?" Shouri said crossing her arms and looking at the girl. Arisa pressed her lips together to keep the giggles from coming out before smiling.

"No, nothing at all," she said as Haru smiled slightly at her. "… Look let me make it up to the two of you," Arisa said suddenly, clapping her hands together. "I know where you guys can rest up and where you can get your Bulbasaur healed," she said as Haru's expression brightened.

"Really? You mean it?" he said as Shouri looked at Arisa with mild curiosity as well. Arisa nodded before pointing ahead of them towards the town.

"There's this place called a Pokémon Center in town where you can take Pokémon to get healed. If we hurry we can make it there in no time and get Bulbasaur fixed right up," she said as Haru and Shouri looked at each other before smiling.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go," Shouri said as Arisa smiled before throwing her hands in the air with joy, surprising her two fellow trainers.

"Alright! Come on I'll lead the way!" she cheered walking ahead of the other two quickly. Shouri looked over at Haru, who shrugged and followed after Arisa as fast as possible.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Shouri sighed before hurrying off after the other two teens.

* * *

"I'm starting to see why they call this place Pebble Pond Town," Shouri muttered as she side stepped another small pond that was surrounded by small, glistening stones. This had been the fifth pond so far, and they had only walked into the town moments ago. "If I have to get over another one of these things I think I'm gonna start hurling stones at people," she muttered as she and Haru followed Arisa towards a big red building in the center of the town.

"Here we are!" Arisa said as they stopped in front of the building. "The Pokémon Center! Home of the wonderful Nurse Joy!" she smiled. Shouri and Hatsaharu exchanged a frown before looking over at her.

"Nurse who?"Haru said as he looked up at the red building with a suspicious expression. Arisa looked at the two confused trainers before sighing.

"Wow you two really are new? Alright then follow me," she said as she walked into the center. Shouri and Haru exchanged mildly unconvinced looks, but followed Arisa in out of sheer curiosity.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center," a woman dressed in a pink nurse uniform smiled from behind a counter, her long red hair neatly arranged under her pink hat. Arisa smiled in return before pulling Hatsaharu over to the counter with her.

"Hello Nurse Joy," Arisa smiled before she gestured to Hatsaharu. "My friend Hatsaharu here has an injured Bulbasaur. Could you have a look at it for us?" she asked as Haru looked at Nurse Joy with a child like curiosity. Nurse Joy's expression softened even more as she nodded in understanding.

"Of course I'll see what I can do, if you'll just give me Bulbasaur's poké ball," she said warmly before holding out her hand. Haru looked from Arisa to Shouri and back again before taking their reassuring looks as confirmation. He slowly pulled out Bulbasaur's poké ball before reluctantly handing it over to Nurse Joy. "Don't you worry. I'll do whatever I can, and this will only take a few minutes. Why don't you have a seat while I take care of your Pokémon," she smiled before moving away from the counter to give Bulbasaur a look over. Arisa and Haru went over to where Shouri had already taken refuge and sat as well.

"You think it'll be okay?" Hatsaharu muttered, looking over at his old friend and his new one. Shouri reached over and took Haru's hand in her own before giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't you worry, pal," she grinned. "Your Bulbasaur is gonna be great," she said before letting go of him and stretching. "I, on the other hand, am exhausted. I mean honestly, who the heck decided to stick a town past a ridiculous, wet forest anyways," she muttered as Haru grinned and Arisa giggled lightly at the remark. Shouri looked over at the blond before sighing. "So, Arisa, you don't seem to be from around here. Handa, I mean," she said as Arisa nodded.

"That's right. I'm actually from Hoenn," Arisa said, beaming with pride at the impressed expression on Shouri's face and the surprised one on Haru's. "I'm sort of a Pokémon battler and coordinator, and when I heard about the Handa region I just couldn't resist coming here after I finished up back home," she said, watching as Shouri looked up at the ceiling of the Pokémon Center in thought.

"Hoenn huh?" Shouri murmured. "Mom told me about that place once. Must be really cool," she said before sitting up. "Well then, it's decided then." Haru and Arisa looked at each other before looking at Shouri.

"What's decided Sho?" Haru said before blinking as his old friend grinned and looked over at him.

"You and I, Haru, are gonna breeze through the Handa league," she said, surprising both Haru and Arisa with her statement. "And when we do, we're gonna go off to all of the regions our parents keep talking about. Hoenn, Kanto, Johto! All of them!" Shouri said standing up. "And we're gonna take on every single league! And show them all what we Handa trainers are made of!"

"Yeah!" Haru exclaimed in agreement as he stood up as well. "Let's show them what we've got!" he said as the two friends high fived one another.

"Uh, guys? I hate to burst your bubble, but other people are trying to rest here," Arisa muttered looking around. Both Shouri and Haru blinked before glancing around as well, noticing other trainers looking over at them and frowning. The dynamic duo blushed with embarrassment before sitting down quickly next to Arisa. They spent the rest of the time in silence, exchanging a few comments here and there about the trip and their home lives, before Nurse Joy finally came out from the back of the Pokémon Center. The three newly formed friends stood up and went over to the counter.

"How is Bulbasaur?" Haru asked as all three of them gave the nurse a concerned expression. Nurse Joy smiled warmly and handed the poké ball back to Hatsaharu.

"Good as new! See for yourself," she said as Haru quickly took his poké ball from her and tossed it into the air. Bulbasaur suddenly appeared before them, raising a paw in greeting.

"Saur! Bulbasaur!" it smiled as the trio ran forward to greet it.

"Bulbasaur! I'm so glad you're okay!" Haru smiled hugging the Pokémon. Bulbasaur patted Hatsaharu on the back with a happy expression before noticing Arisa and growling. Haru quickly set Bulbasaur down and shook his head. "No no Bulbasaur, it's okay. She's with us now," he grinned before Bulbasaur looked from Arisa to Hatsaharu and back. Finally it nodded and smiled to Arisa as well.

"Saur! Bulbasaur!" it smiled holding it's paw out to Arisa. The blond girl looked at the outstretched paw before smiling.

"I'm very glad you've forgiven me Bulbasaur," she smiled as she and Haru exchanged happy expressions. Shouri smiled at the scene in front of her before turning to Nurse Joy with a tired expression.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I can get a nice, soft bed around this town, do you Nurse Joy?" she sighed, causing Arisa, Haru and even Bulbasaur to laugh lightly at their exhausted friend's hopeful tone.

* * *

Hi again!

If you are reading this message, then you have made it to the end of the chapter :P

Feel proud!

And tune in soon for the next chapter of Pokemon: Handa

See you soon!


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